Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suzhou and Olsztyn

For one person, living is cheaper in Suzhou: $888 a month against $1,703 in Olsztyn, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Suzhou, China
Olsztyn, Poland
Suzhou
🇨🇳 China
$888
/mo nomad
Olsztyn
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,703
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suzhou and in Olsztyn

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Suzhou and in Olsztyn actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $888 in Suzhou versus $1,703 in Olsztyn.

  • Suzhou $888
  • Olsztyn $1,703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,464 in Suzhou versus $2,449 in Olsztyn.

  • Suzhou $1,464
  • Olsztyn $2,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,041 in Suzhou versus $3,196 in Olsztyn.

  • Suzhou $2,041
  • Olsztyn $3,196

Living in Suzhou costs roughly 48% less than in Olsztyn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Suzhou is 34% below, Olsztyn is 26% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Suzhou
Olsztyn
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.11 ¥27.42
$12.63 zł 49.27
-67.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.14 ¥201
$50.3 zł 196
-40.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.24 ¥34.94
$8.70 zł 33.94
-39.77%
Cappuccino
$3.45 ¥22.98
$3.29 zł 12.82
4.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ¥4.87
$2.48 zł 9.66
-70.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 ¥2.76
$1.85 zł 7.21
-77.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.25 ¥14.98
$3.09 zł 12.04
-27.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.46 ¥29.73
$3.75 zł 14.64
18.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Suzhou
Olsztyn
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 ¥13.11
$1.02 zł 3.99
93.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.03 ¥13.51
$1.25 zł 4.88
62.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 ¥8.62
$1.38 zł 5.37
-6.52%
Eggs
$1.78 ¥11.84
$3.87 zł 15.11
-54.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.93 ¥119
$9.61 zł 37.51
86.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.38 ¥22.52
$7.55 zł 29.47
-55.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.91 ¥59.4
$14.51 zł 56.6
-38.59%
Apples (1kg)
$1.99 ¥13.29
$1.19 zł 4.64
67.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 ¥8.31
$1.66 zł 6.46
-24.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 ¥9.36
$1.82 zł 7.08
-23.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ¥9.97
$3.44 zł 13.42
-56.40%
Potato (1kg)
$0.63 ¥4.19
$0.91 zł 3.55
-30.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 ¥7.59
$1.18 zł 4.61
-3.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.84 ¥5.61
$1.34 zł 5.24
-37.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ¥4.05
$0.72 zł 2.81
-15.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.54 ¥30.26
$5.49 zł 21.40
-17.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.92 ¥59.4
$7.81 zł 30.47
14.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.10 ¥7.33
$1.13 zł 4.42
-2.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 ¥13.88
$1.56 zł 6.09
33.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Suzhou
Olsztyn
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.90
$1.04 zł 4.05
-72.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.95 ¥246
$25.18 zł 98.3
46.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.63 ¥10.87
$1.98 zł 7.72
-17.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.34 ¥2.24
$0.73 zł 2.85
-53.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.34 ¥68.9
$10.27 zł 40.07
0.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 ¥8.93
$1.64 zł 6.40
-18.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K ¥127.8K
$31.2K zł 121.9K
-38.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.6K ¥117.6K
$28.9K zł 112.8K
-38.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Suzhou
Olsztyn
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 ¥683
$336 zł 1,312
-69.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.13 ¥87.5
$9.64 zł 37.62
36.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.43 ¥76.2
$18.98 zł 74.1
-39.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Suzhou
Olsztyn
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.39 ¥223
$45.06 zł 176
-25.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.50 ¥123
$22.38 zł 87.3
-17.34%
Cinema Ticket
$6.13 ¥40.86
$8.70 zł 33.96
-29.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Suzhou
Olsztyn
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,248 ¥8,320
$374 zł 1,458
234.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$31.5K ¥209.8K
$14.0K zł 54.6K
124.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Suzhou
Olsztyn
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.1 ¥354
$98.8 zł 385
-46.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.64 ¥271
$47.62 zł 186
-14.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.1 ¥553
$99.9 zł 390
-16.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.0 ¥573
$104 zł 404
-16.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Suzhou
Olsztyn
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 ¥2,528
$820 zł 3,198
-53.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$218 ¥1,453
$638 zł 2,491
-65.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,015 ¥6,764
$1,308 zł 5,104
-22.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$555 ¥3,701
$1,025 zł 3,998
-45.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,816 ¥32.1K
$3,616 zł 14.1K
33.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,608 ¥17.4K
$2,519 zł 9,827
3.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Suzhou
Olsztyn
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,488 ¥9,919
$1,491 zł 5,816
-0.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.53
7.52
-53.06%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Suzhou: November 2, 2026

Last update for Olsztyn: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Suzhou
$223
Olsztyn
$238 6.8% $15
Accommodation & Living
Suzhou
$218
Olsztyn
$638 193% $420
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Suzhou
$127
Olsztyn
$365 187% $238
Clothing & Footwear
Suzhou
$118
Olsztyn
$157 33.1% $39
Eating Out
Suzhou
$115
Olsztyn
$207 80.2% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Suzhou
$46
Olsztyn
$62 36.8% $17
Getting Around
Suzhou
$41
Olsztyn
$35 15.6% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $379 in Suzhou and $820 in Olsztyn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Suzhou vs $50 in Olsztyn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $238 per month, with Suzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Suzhou
🇵🇱 Olsztyn
🕒 Local time
12:19 12:19 PM
05:19 5:19 AM
7 h behind Suzhou
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,748,262
174,675
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.9 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.39 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Suzhou Olsztyn 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Suzhou
  • Olsztyn

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Suzhou vs Olsztyn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Suzhou cheaper than Olsztyn?
Suzhou is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,332 in Suzhou and $2,554 in Olsztyn to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Suzhou and Olsztyn?
Rent for a central apartment: $379 in Suzhou versus $820 in Olsztyn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Suzhou and in Olsztyn?
Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Olsztyn. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Suzhou or in Olsztyn?
Dining out is cheaper in Suzhou – a meal for two runs $30 versus $50 in Olsztyn. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Suzhou or in Olsztyn?
At $888 in Suzhou versus $1,703 in Olsztyn, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Suzhou but tight or insufficient in Olsztyn. The gap between the two cities makes Suzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Suzhou or in Olsztyn?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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